Originally Posted by mcours2006

The gearing on the two bikes are near identical--48/38/28 front, and 11-32 vs 12-32 on the Trek and Norco, respectively. In any case, either will be sufficient for most of you needs. You can climb the steepest hill on the 28-32 combo, and though not impossible on long declines, you won't spin out on the 48-11/12 combo either.